Health workers condemn Governor Barasa over UHC staff absorption remarks

While addressing delegates during the Kakamega ASK show, Baraza said the governors would not absorb the UHC staff by the July 1 timeline. 

The union termed the remarks by Baraza, who chairs the Finance committee of the Council of Governors (COG), as "unfortunate, unwarranted, and reckless." 

"The union views his recent statements as a complete mockery to the dedication, sacrifice, and statutory rights of all UHC healthcare workers across the nation public health officers notwithstanding who remain the backbone of Kenya's health care system,: said Secretary General Brow Ashira in a press statement on Friday.

There is a dispute between governors and UHC staff, as the former claims lack of funds to absorb the healthcare workers under permanent terms. 

The government had promised to transition all 7,414 active UHC contract workers into Permanent and Pensionable (PnP) terms. 

"While Ministry of Health leadership assured workers this transition would occur through the Division of Revenue Bill, Governor Fernandes Baraza and the CoG have introduced bureaucratic hurdles," the union argued. 

The health workers further accused the COG of delaying the payroll absorption of UHC workers by demanding a total restructuring of how UHC funds are managed. 

The governors propose a shift from specific, ring-fenced conditional grants to generalized county equitable shares. 

"This financial maneuvering threatens to leave thousands of frontline healthcare providers without valid contracts, salaries, or pension security," the Union further states. 

It accuses governors of betraying UHC workers, who were crucial front line workers during the Covid-19 pandemic. 

"They have endured delayed gratuities and persistent employment uncertainty. The latest stance from the CoG represents a blatant disregard for prior inter-governmental commitments and directly undermines national public health delivery," said the union. 

The public health and environment workers have vowed not to "retreat, compromise, or negotiate on the dignity of our workers."

They demand immediate absorption into PNP terms, an end to contract extensions and a guaranteed budgetary allocation. 

"The Council of Governors and the Ministry of Health must understand that the patience of healthcare workers has been exhausted. If immediate steps are not taken to retract these reckless statements and honor the transition agreement, we will paralyze public health services nationwide," the union added.